Joanne Broder Sumerson, PhD
joannebrodersumerson@gmail.com

Happy Spring! This is a wonderful time of year for cultivating new ideas and implementing change.  Nature is renewed and so are we.

This division is growing with new members who are leaders in the field.  Our members are psychologists, practitioners, scholars, journalists, and students who work together to study, educate, and publicize to bridge the gap between research and practice in the media’s influence on behavior.  We hope you will encourage your colleagues to join us.

The Membership Committee, Jonathan Grimes, Josh Cohen, Eric Peterson, and I are working to implement more networking opportunities.  We welcome Jonathan Grimes as our new chair, who will facilitate additional division benefits.  Coming soon is the Virtual Social Hour, which would be an online “party” where you sign up, log on, and meet people without having to wait until the annual “actual” social hour at convention.  We will be presenting the evolution of this in Denver this summer.

We use social media for our personal and professional interactions, so why not include the Society of Media Psychology and Technology for such purposes?  Follow us on Twitter @APADivision46 to stay in the know with what is latest and greatest.  Join our Society’s Facebook group to learn and share some of the latest trends and controversies on topics of how we are influenced by media, technology, and other related issues in pop culture.  “Like” us on Facebook for fun and relevant articles and hear members’ news such as links to their blogs, publication announcements, and media appearances.  We are always looking for interesting content from you!

I look forward to meeting you at the Virtual Happy Hour and the “actual” Social Hour in Denver!